Expensive...hmmm...well to some extent. Most people do not understand this fishes because they see the lfs selling the cheapo plecos for rm1-4 and they compare it to the exotic ones. Lfs stocks are bred while exotic stocks are caught. They dun breed easily. I do meet people commenting that the lfs is trying to con me when they see me pick up a pleco. They say there are other shops selling for rm1 each... Thats our local mentality...
U can always opt for the common pleco which cost about 2-4 bux if u cant afford an exotic one...

Exotic plecos are very nice and hard to care after...at times.
The demand for such fishes are very high...but overseas not here. Over here, the locals wont pay a dollar for 1.

DOA is unpredictable and those that do not make it alive, their cost will be added in to the other survivor's cost.

Transportation charges are high also as they dun overstock every bag like wat we see in our lfs.

Collector's item. U may have the money but not necessary got people wanna sell to you.

Catching these fishes take up a lot of effort and is sometime very difficult to move them from the river to a collection area as they have to walk through thick jungle. Sometimes a certain species is hard to get or rare or maybe protected.

In short...plecos are not everyones cup of tea. To me a 100bux pleco is affordable. To normal people, its nuts. I rather pay 300 for a pleco than to throw away 50 bux on a luohan or dragon fish.